Larval rearing and development of Siganus lineatus (Pisces: Siganidae) from hatching through metamorphosis

Larvae of Siganus lineatus were hatched and reared through metamorphosis in a 7 000-1 tank covered with a translucent roof. The larvae were fed phytoplankton (mixed cultures), rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), copepods (Oithona sp.), and Artemia nauplii. Thirty-five days were required for all the larvae to metamorphose; survival was 800 out of 5 000 (16%). The rearing period and rearing criteria are identical to those required for S. canaliculatus. Three important developmental stages were identified: the dark-head carnivorous stage (the gut is a simple coil), the brown-head omnivorous stage (the gut is elongated and convoluted), and the juvenile herbivorous stage (the gut is highly elongated and convoluted into a complex coil). Over-feeding on Artemia nauplii may result in deaths among brown-head and juvenile fishes; adjustment of the feeding regime when larvae begin to develop into the brown-head stage is considered important. Copepods are an excellent substitute for Artemia nauplii during this period